Alaska News Nightly: November 30, 2007

Conoco Phillips puts in a bid to build the Alaska gas pipeline; The Anchorage Assembly passes a hard-fought budget, and Savoonga gets ready for wind power. Those stories and more on tonight’s Alaska News Nightly, broadcast statewide on APRN stations.

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Conoco Phillips submits gasline proposal
Annie Feidt, APRN – Anchorage
Governor Sarah Palin will announce within the hour which companies have submitted applications to build a natural gas pipeline. They must meet the state’s requirements in the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act or AGIA. But today, Conoco Phillips said it has a proposal to build a pipeline but isn’t willing to do it within the state’s guideline.
FBI releases phone recordings of McGuire
David Shurtleff, APRN – Anchorage
After days of denying its existence, the FBI has released audio of State Senator Lesil McGuire allegedly trying to intimidate a federal witness.McGuire is the wife of convicted former legislator Tom Anderson. Earlier this week, it was revealed that she may have placed threatening calls to federal-witness Bill Bobrick, who later testified at Anderson’s trial.

Senator Murkowski holds hearing on care of returning soldiers
Lori Townsend, APRN – Anchorage
Senator Lisa Murkowski listened to vets, VA and health care officials today in Anchorage during a field hearing on health care for soldiers returning from Kuwait and Iraq. Murkowski is vice chair of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. The hearing focused on the concern over access to health care for rural Vets
A Lamprey revival?
Tim Bodony, KIYU – Galena
A western Alaska fish buyer is trying to build a market for an ancient creature that might otherwise swim unnoticed at the bottom of icy rivers this time of year. The lamprey is a boneless fish similar in appearance to an eel. Millions of them enter the Yukon and other major rivers at this time of year to spawn.

Anchorage Assembly passes budget
Len Anderson, KSKA – Anchorage
After much debate, positioning and perhaps a bit of posturing, last night the Anchorage Assembly adopted a compromising mood and approved the Municipal Budget for 2008.

Dealing with growing garbage in Juneau
John Ryan, KTOO – Juneau
The Juneau Assembly has “conceptually approved” a strategy to provide curbside recycling to city residents. Solid-waste consultants told Juneau officials yesterday the city shouldn’t be alarmed by the rising plateau of garbage at its Lemon Creek landfill. So, instead of finding a new place to take Juneau’s trash, the city plans to work with the private sector to recycle more of it.